UH Sugar Land Campus to Expand Higher Education Opportunities in Fort Bend County

Residents in the greater Houston area soon will
have additional access to higher education opportunities. To accommodate population
growth in Fort Bend County and the workforce needs of the community, the
University of Houston will increase its degree offerings in the city of Sugar
Land.

The UH System Board of Regents
approved a measure that will expand UH’s academic and administrative presence
at the system’s Sugar Land teaching center starting in January 2012. Following
approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the UH System at
Sugar Land teaching center would be renamed the UH Sugar Land Campus. UH will ultimately
serve as the primary provider of academic programs at the UH Sugar Land Campus
and will oversee its operations.

The measure represents a change
in administrative ownership of UH Sugar Land from the University of Houston
System to the University of Houston. The University of Houston will
manage the campus in Sugar Land, in close collaboration with its partners in
the UH System, including UH Victoria (UHV). The array of programs
currently offered in Sugar Land by UH Clear Lake (UHCL) and UHV will
continue. The administrative change will facilitate a net increase in
programs from UH, UHCL and UHV, UH System officials said.

“This is a ‘win-win,’ said UH Victoria
President Philip Castille. “There will be no diminishment of our program
offerings, and our programs will continue to meet the needs of Fort Bend
County.”

Two UH System regents who live
in Victoria and Sugar Land, respectively, agreed.

“This represents more UH – not
less UHV,” said Regent Roger Welder, who is from Victoria. “It allows us to
offer more services at UH Sugar Land, which is hungry for more of what we
provide at UH. We’re thrilled to be able to meet that demand.”

Regent Jarvis Hollingsworth
said, “As a UH System regent and a resident of Sugar Land, I am proud of the
board’s decision. I think the Sugar Land community and UH will benefit from
this partnership. This would not have been possible without support from the
city of Sugar Land and the community. This is what it’s all about. Universities
and communities working together to serve students.”

John Antel, UH provost and
senior vice president for academic affairs, said, “We have a plan in place with
the people in Sugar Land to build a larger UH presence in that area. We’re
working with the community to accommodate the needs of its workforce by
offering a range of new programs focused on technology, business and
education.”

Antel added that UH will start
a minimum of nine programs at the UH Sugar Land Campus over the next three
years. This will double the number of UH programs offered at this site. Among
the UH degree programs recently added at the site are:

Master of Science, Human Resource Development

Master of Science, Project Management

Doctor of Education, Professional Leadership

Post Baccalaureate Certificate, Speech Pathology
Assistant

“Our goal is to deliver
programs that directly respond to this region’s workforce and economic
development needs,” said Marshall Schott, UH associate vice president for
university outreach. “There is a demand in this area for graduate degree
programs. A large number of professionals have bachelor’s or post-baccalaureate
degrees and want to enhance their careers. This campus will help deliver
master’s programs to residents of Sugar Land and nearby areas.”

Fort Bend County is among the
fastest-growing areas within greater Houston. According to recent census data,
its population increased by 65 percent over the past decade. In the past five
years, the number of Fort Bend County residents attending a Texas public
university has increased by 35 percent. Approximately 18,000 students in Fort
Bend County attend Texas public universities, and 26 percent of these students
are enrolled at UH.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for the city of Sugar Land
and UH,” said Sugar Land Mayor James A. Thompson, who attended the meeting and
addressed the board. “To have strengthened access to UH’s programs is a great
thing. We have a very strong economic development group in Fort Bend County
that was very involved in getting these programs here, and we look forward to
these academic offerings complementing our local economy.”

Located in Sugar Land at the
intersection of U.S. Highway 59 South and University Boulevard, the 200-acre
campus hosts 15 UH degree programs and four certifications, as well as programs
from UH Clear Lake, UH Victoria and Wharton County Junior College. Classes are
delivered in the 57,000-square-foot Albert and Mamie George Building and the
145,000-square-foot Brazos Hall. Among the academic resources available to
students is the University Branch Library, which is part of Fort Bend County
Libraries.

“UH is invested in providing
greater access to higher education within the greater Houston area,” Schott
said. “To do this, we are building partnerships with community members. Collaborations
with business leaders, the public sector and residents will help pave the path
toward academic excellence for this campus.”

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ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON SYSTEM

The University of Houston
System is a comprehensive system of higher education institutions serving to
further the intellectual capital and economic strength of the Gulf Coast
region. The UH System includes the University of Houston, a nationally
recognized Tier One public research university; the University of
Houston-Downtown, a four-year undergraduate university expanding into graduate
programs; the University of Houston-Victoria, a four-year university with
undergraduate and master’s level degree programs; and the University of
Houston- Clear Lake, an upper-division and master’s level institution. The
system also includes two branch campuses, UH-Clear Lake Pearland and Lone Star
College-University Park, as well as two multi-institution teaching centers, UH
System Sugar Land and UH System Cinco Ranch. In addition, the System owns and
operates KUHF-FM, Houston’s National Public Radio station; KUHA-FM, Houston’s
24-hour classical music station; and KUHT-TV, the nation’s first educational
television station. To learn more about the UH System, visit http://www.uhsa.uh.edu/